The Man in the High Castle
The Man in the High Castle is the title of a 1962 alternative history novel by the American writer Philip K. Dick as well as the title of a 2015 TV series loosely based on the novel. The American Reich, officially known as the "Nazi American Reich", was a self-governing state of the "Greater Nazi Reich", roughly consisting of the eastern and midwestern portions of the former United States and portions of the former (British) Dominion of Canada. It bordered the Neutral Zone to the west and Mexico to the south.
Content
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The American Reich was established in 1947 with the West Point Peace Treaty, which surrendered all American territory in the east coast to the Greater Nazi Reich, and concluded the Second World War. This treaty was signed two years after the atomic bombing of Washington D.C., which crippled the American war effort against Germany. Though initially victorious, both the German Reich and the Japanese Empire had to fight a hard and tenacious resistance for almost two years before finally suppressing the rebellion and declaring victory on 18 September 1947. Within the Reich, this day was officially celebrated as "Victory over America (VA) Day".
By 1962, the American Reich was led by Reichsmarschall George Lincoln Rockwell who was supported by John Edgar Hoover, director of the American Reich Bureau of Investigation. Rockwell was personally removed from office by Heinrich Himmler after falsely accusing former American army officer (captain with the US Army Signal Corps) and now SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer John Smith of treason against the Reich. Following Rockwell's expulsion, Smith ascended to the rank of Reichsmarschall. Smith was instrumental in dismantling a conspiracy masterminded by Martin Heusmann and Reinhard Heydrich that sought to overthrow Adolf Hitler and annihilate the Japanese Empire in order to usher in a new age. He took control of Nazi America as its Reichsführer in 1965 after he initiated a putsch against Himmler.
Novel
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The novel is set in 1962. The Allies lost World War II which lasted until 1947. The United States has been divided between Japan and Germany. A less politically correct aspect is rapid technological progress with manned space flights already having reached Mars (see also: Wernher von Braun's Marsprojekt).
Slavery was legalized in the Pacific states of America in the novel. Black people are referred to in chapter 2 as slaves or shipmates under curfew on land and limited to groups of three in San Francisco. Chattel slavery is implied in the south, where a Jew ponders having plenty of 'place' or status there but only until its discovered he's a Jew with an anglicized name.
The story involves negatively describing daily life in the dystopian United States, an opposition movement, and high-level political intrigues between and the Japan and the German Reich. In Philip K. Dick's novel, the concept of "Lebensraum" is referenced, particularly in the context of the alternate history where the Axis powers won World War II.
An alternative-alternative history device is the banned novel The Grasshopper Lies Heavy which describes an alternative history which is different from the history of both the real world and the alternative history of the world of The Man in the High Castle. Various forms of skepticism/uncertainty of observable reality is a common theme in the fictional works by Philip K. Dick who himself suffered from hallucinations.
TV series
The 2015 TV series is loosely based on the novel. Even the National Socialists, completely unrealistic, never use any other term than "Nazi" to describe themselves and Germany has been officially renamed to the "Greater Nazi Reich" [sic!]. The Holocaust and other alleged German mass murders are common knowledge and areas are occasionally covered with falling corpse ash/flakes from the burning of the victims of mass murders. The viewer sees a map showing all of Europe up to the Urals and the Middle East are under Nazi control. NYC’s main airport is named George Lincoln Rockwell International.
The series does an effective job of showing prosperous American life under National Socialist rule. In New York, Reich government officials live with their families in high-end Long Island suburbs complete with white picket fences, manicured lawns, and block parties. In the city itself, workers live quietly in newly built efficiency apartments. The parks are maintained, jobs are provided, and the infrastructure is reliable. Euro-Americans adapted to, and accepted, National Socialism and a two-tiered hierarchy of power in exchange for some semblance of a set standard of living. At one point, Smith recalls initial resistance to occupation, but claims it was quickly put down. Generally speaking, liberal democracy was already on its last legs during the Great Depression. Countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and France devised broad social programs to combat the economic slump, but ultimately failed to substantially reduce unemployment and increase wages.
The depiction of Japanese culture has been criticized consistently erroneous.[1] In the final season, the primary resistance force in the Japanese held territory are black Marxists/communists. They receive weapons from Chinese forces (who are also rebelling against the Japanese in Asia).
